The Tale of Twenty Three
by LittlewriterLink
Summary: Do you know your family tree? Prepare to enter the well known universe of the Link's, the green garbed hero. However, this no normal adventure of theirs. Join Wind, Spirit, Twilight, Minish, Time, Sky and many more in the Tale of Twenty Three where courage is not just in the Triforce but in the strength of those around you; your family and friends across the ages.


Chapter one – The Great Sea

"Wind? Wind, wake up!" the King of Red Lions muttered as Wind drooled on his mast. They had been traveling for days, all the fighting was taking a toll on his small body and face. He opened a sleepy eye and slipped off the mast onto the floor with a thump; the whole of his body aching with stress. He smoothed down his bright yellow hair, his fringe bounced back up like a spring; he yawned and rubbed his big black eyes. His Picto Box fell on the floor from his pouch by his feet; he picked up and turned it around so the glass of the lens faced him; he stared at a red mark that had had made itself at home on his left cheek. That blasted bird, when he got a chance he would destroy for taking Aryll.

"Aryll…" Wind whispered opening his pouch and pulled out a blue shirt that almost reached his knees. Grandma made it for him when he was younger. When Ma was alive. He blinked a tear away as a shadow appeared obscuring the early morning sun. His tears soaked the cloth as in his solitude on the sea felt like a wound had been ripped open.

"GOOD MORNING, WIND!" a voice giggled, Wind sighed and hugged the shirt, the white lobster reminded him of the beauty of his home, the sun rising over the hills as the pigs grazed near the beach where the crabs would scuttle about their business. He would normally be still sleeping in Ayrll's Lookout at this time in the morning; that is until he was stared down through a telescope. There had been many days where she had hit him with it as she had been trying to work out how she couldn't see anything. Normally she had tripped over his sleeping body at this time and received a black eye. Wind wretched himself back to the present and wiped his tears from his face; he did not want him of all people to see him cry.

"Morning…Tingle." Wind said through his gritted teeth as Tingle lifted Wind's hat off his head, the green fabric that made the point on the end flopped over Wind's face. He crossed his eyes and blew the hat out of his face but it slapped him back in the nose making him sneeze. Tingle sat on the other side of the boat just behind the King of Red Lion's neck; glitter showered the floor making Wind tut. That would be more to clean up later. Standing up shakily; still was not quite used to the rocking motions of the boat; and Tingle was as ever, not helping. The King of Red Lions gave a bored yawn and shook his head as the glitter sprayed him in the face.

"Something on your mind; my little friend?" Tingle asked leaning on the side of the boat, his weight making Wind grab for the opposite side of the King of Red Lions as an explosion of glitter smacked him in the face like a fist. Tingle's green garb was dark and made him look like a holly leaf against the King of Red Lions neck; his ears were pointed and larger than Wind's but were covered up with a hoodie. His thick black eyebrows were lifted in question and his tiny eyes were slits like he was constantly plotting something, his tiny hands were rubbing his horse-like nose and his cheeks were decorated with a pair of glittery swirls. A little clock bounced on his chest as he giggled at Wind's half sea-sick face. Wind found the situation much less amusing and slumped on the deck; he vomited over the side of the King of Red Lions. The night had been rougher than he thought and Tingle rocking the boat simply made his stomach do flips on a normal basis ever since seeing him in Windfall Prison. Why did he let him out?!

"Wind had a rough night, last night. A giant squid rose from the depths of the water. We were swallowed and thrown away." the King of Red Lions replied hearing Wind groan; forcing himself to keep his food down. His frown remained on his face as he talked to the creep that sat behind his neck. Tingle gave another laugh and stood up; making the King of Red Lions shudder on the waves, Wind fell backwards onto the helm; his face turned a light shade of green, the same colour as his shirt under his tunic as he banged his head. The King of Red Lions winced as he saw the fabric on the right side of his face shuffle to make way for a red lump; Wind devoutly wished he could push the obnoxious creature off the side.

"I heard you found my Picto Box after I left, could I have it?" Tingle asked jumping on the deck happily. Wind opened one eye and yelped as something pointed poked him in the back. The Wind Waker. Wind quickly turned to see Tingle take it in his hands and waft it around like he was swatting a fly. The brilliantly polished conductor's baton shone brightly into Wind's eyes making him grimace under his hat and the point on the end could easily be mistaken for a knife blade, but what Wind most admired about it was the design; the ancient Hylian writing that had been chiselled into the swirls that stuck out just above Tingle's hand:

_Breeze and direction at my command,_

_Do as I demand,_

_Chart me on map, compass and course,_

_Guided by my invisible hands, I show my silent remorse,_

_The hand that holds me, allows my anger to cool,_

_Shall forever be loved by all for just carrying this tool._

Wind let out a comforting sigh as he reminded himself of the poem; it gave him a bit of comfort.

Tingle's dancing bounced Wind from his thoughts; vomit was rising in his throat again

"Give it back, before you-ow!" Wind squeaked slapping his hand over his right eye. Tingle seemed not to notice as Wind's temper and sickness grew worse. He roared and pushed Tingle over so the Wind Waker Baton fell out of his hands into the sea below, Tingle fought to stay on his feet as Wind watched it in horror as it vanished from his sight. Wind dived in the water after it; he could barely keep his eyes open as the salt of the sea stung his eyes. The deeper he swam after it the more he choked on his forgotten breath.

Wind let out a splutter as his Grappling Hook seized his tunic and pulled him out of the water, Wind managed to grab the Wind Waker Baton before the force of the pull rose him into the air. Wind let gravity grasp him as he hit the deck of the King of Red Lions with a moan, the Grappling Hook let go of his tunic; leaving Wind to become Tingle's foot stool. Wind gave him a shove and squeezed his tunic till it was covered in wrinkles; Tingle continued to prance around on deck and did not even notice Wind ring out his hat. The opportunity to slap him in the water with it was greatly thought about in Wind's mind as he continued to roll it up. He let a smile cross his face as he replaced it on his head; it bounced off his head like it was alive. Wind glanced in it as a purple fish spat water in his face and dived back into the water. Wind shook his head and glanced inside his hat to make sure no more passengers had got inside.

"I see you're happy now, well I got what I came for, see you around the sea, my friend!" Tingle spoke standing on his toes on the side of the King of Red Lions making Wind hang onto the helm. Tingle's weight was making the King of Red Lions lean dangerously starboard

_How much could he weigh to almost capsize him?_ Wind thought looked up on deck to find the Picto box had vanished into Tingle's left hand, the gleaming reflection of the object made Wind scrunch his eyes up

"Tingle, Tingle, Kooloo-Limpah." Tingle laughed as a bright red balloon filled Wind's sight as if out of nowhere, the wavy design of the balloon reminded him of Ayrll's dress; the big spots with swirls. Tingle rose into the air without a worry that the balloon should pop. Wind readied the Grappling Hook and swung it around on his left side, the three pronged hook swung just past his head as he let it fly out of his hands. It gripped onto the Picto Box from hidden inside Tingle's red underwear. The Picto Box fell back into Wind's hands, although he was not too sure if he wanted it.

Wind slipped it back into pouch anyway and picked the Wind Waker Baton from the floor and picked up an escaped Hyoi Pear that he had dropped. Wind threw it in his right hand up a little, it was not very heavy but it would make a good bump on the head if he were to throw it… Wind raised his arm,

"Don't even think about it." the King of Red Lions growled, Wind sighed and lowered his arm, shame, he really wanted to hear Tingle scream instead of laugh and act all posh. Wind let out a yawn and curled up into a ball behind the King of Red Lion's neck. The King of Red Lion's looked at Wind's little body and reached over to pick up the blue shirt that lay in a heap on deck and gently put it over the sleeping boy's shoulders. Wind let out a quiet mumble and pulled his shirt up over his shoulders, he unclipped his belt and used the pouch as a pillow.

The day seemed to pass slowly; the odd seagull would sit on the helm, causing the King of Red Lions to jerk on the waves as the currents pushed them around the Great Sea. As dusk approached Wind opened his eyes; his legs were cramped with sleeping curled up and his cheek was a deep red and sticky

"Oh, yuck! Squashed bait!" Wind cried rubbing his cheek with sea water, a dark red stain marked his pouch from the inside as the bait had marked through when he had been lying on it.

The setting sun painted the sky a rose red and soup yellow and the clouds began to thin out to make way for the early stars that looked down on his world. The King of Red Lions stiffened his neck; he heard Wind uncork a bottle of soup from his pouch, the bottle covered in the broken bait, he looked at the puddle he had made on deck and pondered, his clothes were still a little damp and any excuse to get out of them in this hot weather was a dream. Wind unloosened his belt and placed it carefully on deck; he did not want to damage the little fairy he caught inside a bottle last time they were on land, he could hear the bored tapping of its tiny fingers on the glass. Wind slipped the blue shirt on; happy to be in familiar clothes again, it was slightly warm with him sleeping with it. He put his belt back on and messed with the buckle in his hands trying not to stab himself with the Wind Waker Baton that poked through his pouch

"I hope Aryll is okay." he mumbled taking the Wind Waker Baton out of his pouch and waved it slowly through the air:

Up

Left

Right

The wind direction changed in the direction of Eastern Triangle Island. The sail opened on the mast and twisted in the wind; the sail's beauty was the simplistic white background that often looked clear from the right angle with a navy green pattern in the middle of the fabric was his constant reminder of Windfall, though he could never compare it with anything.

They gained speed through the sea, Wind let his hand run through the water; the silence of the open sea was unnerving. Wind reduced the sail and picked Ayrll's telescope up from rolling on the floor. He must have a hole in his pouch. He placed it up to his eye; the sea could never be this quiet. That is unless he was going to be ambushed. The quiet always became before the loud.

A shrill whistle filled the air and a jet of water blew up on the horizon. Wind fell over and held on tight to the mast "Please not another squid, please not another." Wind begged as a rhythmic sound rang in his ears. It was slow and sounded far away but it was steadily getting closer. Wind thought he could see bubbles, huge bubbles coming towards him. He wasted no time to get the sail up and tear across the waves, with a quick glance over his shoulder he could see the bubbles were changing direction and following behind him, getting faster and faster

"Wind!" the King of Red Lions shouted as they came to a sudden stop, Wind flew over his head and landed on the land, his bottom just sticking above the long grass

"I'm okay." Wind moaned waving his hand, the sound continued over the ocean, Wind scratched his head; he had never heard anything like it before but it was following him.

Wind turned his head and corrected his hat from over his eye, there was a statue on top of the hill; its arms open wide as if it wanted a hug. Wind crept closer and looked at it, it looked like it was made of wood, the eyes were blank and staring, the closer he got to it; the more the eyes glowed leaf green. He opened his pouch on his belt and pulled out a glowing sphere, a pearl they called it. He placed it gently in the statues open arms and waited. The sky turned even darker than it was and the pearl lit the statue up slightly, the ground began to shake under his feet as green light sprouted from inside the statue. Wind leapt into the grass; he had had his fair share of explosions and cannon fire. It stopped. Nothing happened. Wind climbed back up to the statue.

BANG!

Wind screamed as he vanished into the clouds

The statue changed into a beautiful woman dressed in green, a small flower tied in her hair. The pearl lit up and sent a jet of light across the waves to the other statues, smashing it on contact. The other two statues sent their lights from the past pearls of red and blue to make up a triangle. Fit for the Tri-Force. A silver building arose from the depths of the waves, bathed in yellow and white light.

Wind fell back through the clouds and smacked into it as it let water cascade down the walls. His nose felt like it had been pushed into his face as gravity pulled him down to the ocean. He heard the whistle again and before he touched the water a pair of hands seized his waist, the wind rushed past his ears as he heard a voice

"Don't worry, Wind, I've got you!" it said. Wind opened his eyes and saw the waves fly out from underneath him; he could feel the pair of them falling but a boy was searching in his pouch for something. "Yah!" he shouted as an orange rope passed his face "Feet forward, Wind!" the boy yelled as Wind stared forward, the orange rope had grasped onto a wall, a pair of sharp needles stabbed through the stone of the tower entrance. Wind pushed his feet forward the best he could as the boy threw him through the air and gave him a kick for good measure. Wind belly flopped on something hard and metal as the other boy landed on his feet next to him half ducking into a roll to cushion his fall. "Well, that was exciting." he muttered adjusting a small brown hat that sat on his blond hair

"That was great, Spirit!" a girl squealed, appearing from behind the boy, she had sun blond hair against pale skin and huge blue eyes. Her smile stretched from ear to pointed ear and her cheeks were bright red, she wore a large crown made of brown material with a single pink jewel in the middle, a big brown belt sat on her middle made up of circles and squares and a long white dress with pink and purple swirls on a piece of fabric flapping in the wind. She held out a gloved hand to help him up but Wind's hand went straight through the girl and he face-planted the metal, she blushed and scratched the back of her neck

"Sorry, I forget that I'm not solid sometimes." the girl mumbled glancing at Winds bruised and bloody face. Wind glanced up from the metal at the boy who was looking over the edge of the water unsurely

"Can't you swim?" Wind asked seeing the look on his face

"Uh, no, actually." Spirit replied slipping through a half open window

"Follow me, we have to pick up your boat then we have to go." the girl said flying down to the open window. "I'm Zelda by the way."

Wind climbed in to see Spirit slouching over a seat by the windows, the dark blue curtains billowing in the breeze near his face, the seat behind was bright red and covered in blankets and pillows, the other seats were darker and worn from being sat on repeatedly. The carpet was damp with footprints and had lost most of its bright red colour, but the wood flooring remained shiny and new. The walls were covered in red wallpaper with blue swirls of the royal family as well as a Pictograph of Spirit holding a piece of brown paper, the smile on his face stretching from ear to ear.

"Royal Engineer." Wind read, as he continued to stare at the Pictograph. He glanced over his shoulder to see Spirit go by, he was wearing the same garb that he was in the Pictograph, there were bright silver buttons covering a navy blue shirt that acted like a kilt against his knees, he wore a dark belt that looked older and more worn than the one Wind had, he recognised the buckle's design of the swirl. His hair was bright blond and a little shorter in the fringe compared to his own, Wind looked down to the Spirit's gloved hands. He looked so happy.

"I'm not that pretty." Spirit giggled juggling some black rocks in his hands; Wind noticed there was a scar on his left arm that ran under his glove. Spirit removed it but continued to juggle with the other hand; the scar looked like a claw mark that crossed the back of his left hand

"Did you get caught by the Helmaroc King?" Wind asked wincing at the sight of the red scar

"The giant bird? No, this was from Staven, or was it Byrne?" Spirit muttered looking at Zelda for help, she shrugged as the carriage heaved suddenly. Wind rushed to the window, Spirit vanished behind a curtain at the front of the carriage

Wind saw the Helmaroc King scratch its claws across the roof off the carriage, causing paint to fleck off and deep trenches go across the roof.

"I just fixed that!" Spirit growled, Zelda seemed to shrink in size and turn even paler than what she was.

"What's wrong?" Wind quizzed as the carriage took another beating

"It dented the roof…" Zelda whispered. Wind pulled back the curtain and walked smack into a closed door with a small circular window, he could see Spirit pulling on two levers; they were mustard yellow in colour and had a handle each. Wind scratched his head, sensing that Spirit had not noticed him due to his thought face. The Helmaroc King dove at the carriage again, almost pushing it on its side

"Ha!" Spirit moaned tugging on the lever, a cannonball shot across the carriage and bashed into the Helmaroc King's foot, leaving a claw stabbed into the roof. "Can you aim?" Spirit asked glancing up

"I could." Wind shrugged, his voice muffled by the door

"I need to get us under the water. There are controls for the cannon next to you." Spirit ordered pressing a yellow button next to the levers. Wind let out a small gulp as he pulled the levers to aim the cannon; yet no matter how much he tugged and pulled, the levers barely moved.

Spirit began to shovel black rocks into a quiet fire in the centre of the engine and seam began to erupt from the chimney "Hold onto something!" Spirit screamed as the chimney made a loud whistle. The carriage jerked suddenly, letting Wind roll down the carriage like a football. The waves crashed around them and water leaked in from the trenches in the ceiling

"Spirit! We're leaking in!" Zelda screamed as Spirit pushed a small lever on his right till it would not move further.

"Hand me your Grappling Hook, my Snake Whip will damage him." Spirit shouted opening the door slightly, Wind searched his pouch frantically and pulled it out. He could see Spirit's throw of it as they turned towards the island, it latched onto the King of Red Lions "Zelda, now!" he shouted. Wind turned and let out a shriek.

A metal beast stood behind him.


End file.
